Investor relations for startups has become more and more prominent. This is great. The more people talk about it, the more likely the whole community will develop into providing great updates. Here are a few of the resources we have found which we think are truly useful. Check them out and let us know if you think anything is awesome and should also be included!

New Haircut – Providing pitch deck designs and custom deck creation
Having a pitch deck for going out to try and raise money for your startup is pretty critical. For something which matters so much it is important to ensure that you make it look good! Design isn’t easy. Free pitch deck templates and custom deck creation are what these guys specialize in.

Tofte & Company – Investment banking to lead fundraising efforts
Raising money can often be a very time consuming process. If you haven’t done it before then it can often feel like what to do first becomes a challenge. Why not let a company with many years of experience take on the process for you. Saving you time and energy and letting you focus on growing the company, it isn’t a bad option.

UpdateMyVC – Email templates for creating your own investor updates
This is a great list of questions which you can ask yourself if you are writing your investor updates yourself. It covers a lot of the key areas without going into specifics about your individual company. If you have never written an investor update before then looking at this will be quite beneficial.

nextview Ventures Board Deck Templates – Presentation templates to use for keeping investors up to date
There are many ways you can put your updates together. nextview Ventures have focused on the board deck which is a presentation style. They have a great article on why keeping stakeholders updated is important and provide a free template. If you wanted to check out this design method, look no further.

The Why and How Of Updating Your Angel Investors – Nine key points on updating investors
This is a great article from OnStartups showcasing nine key points with keeping investors up to date. It showcases the importance of such interactions and explains how they can aid in the success of an early stage venture. It also touches on a great point. ‘This exercise is as much for you as it is for them’.

The Investor Update Template – Ty Danco’s thoughts on the ideal investor update template
Again, this looks at the TechStars portfolio companies who often provide templates in this format. A good guide if you would like to copy it as it has the endorsement of two great investors.

4 Things to Put in Your Monthly Update to Investors – Charles Hudson’s views on four essential things to include
This is a great article which prioritizes what you should put at the top of your updates. Obviously, money or lack of comes out on top but there are other key things to include. A great article to read as the author is both a venture partner in a VC firm and a CEO of a startup.

The Structure of an Investor Update – Brett Hardin writes great articles about his career in tech and this is awesome
“Investors want to be involved with your startup. They want to feel like they are part of the team and a frequent investor update are the best way to do this”. There are some really effective tips to make your updates stand out in this article. Some of it is very simple but may not have crossed your mind. Another great piece on how to structure the updates you send out.

How to Communicate with Investors outside Board Meetings – Mark Suster talks about investor updates on his popular blog
“The overwhelming majority of VCs I’ve worked with get up in the morning and think about how they’re going to help their portfolio companies that day”. This article distinguishes between board meetings and investor updates and explains that you should constantly keep investors in the loop so board meetings can be used for other things.

Why Consider Investor Relations – BizFilings on why investor relations are important for SMBs
“Small and medium sized businesses can benefit from investor relations to heighten a company’s overall valuation and lower capital costs.” This article discusses the benefits of setting up investor relations for your small and medium sized businesses.

10 reasons not to seek investors for your startup – Tim Berry discusses the added responsibility investment puts on your business
“Investor relations matter.” This article discusses some of the often overlooked things that getting investment means for your company.

pitchXO – Secure PDF areas with analytics
Having an area where you can host your KPI, updates and presentation material can be effective. Having a secure area where stakeholders can log in at their own leisure to view this material takes investor relations to the next level. This is what pitchXO are doing.